The promotional event ended, and Mingyuan Milk Tea retained a large group of repeat customers with its novel and unique flavors, mostly female.
Compared to the three-day explosive popularity during the opening event, the milk tea shop now receives thousands of customers daily, predominantly students from Jingda and nearby universities.
Moreover, among these customers, there are many new ones, with males making up half of the count.
The male customers drawn in are not because they like drinking milk tea, but because of a circulating rumor.
Recently, a saying has spread across various universities:
"If you don't even know about Mingyuan Milk Tea, how can you talk about love?"
Once the rumor spread, it immediately became a standard for students in various universities when it came to dating.
Simultaneously, it indirectly promoted Mingyuan Milk Tea.
The rumor was naturally started by Gao Fei, and Wang Tao hired people to spread it.
As the rumor of "only being able to date if you buy Mingyuan Milk Tea" spread wider, coupled with the many repeat customers gained from the milk tea's unique taste.
Mingyuan Milk Tea's current sales volume has gradually stabilized and is slowly rising.
Since the promotional period ended, they sell between two to three thousand cups of milk tea daily.
Excluding net profit, the daily turnover of the milk tea shop has consistently hovered around thirteen to fourteen thousand yuan.
Wang Tao, while reviewing the accounts, was secretly delighted. As long as the daily income remains stable above ten thousand yuan, opening a branch is a sure thing.
He looked at the endless stream of customers in the shop and then at the deserted Yunyun Drinks across the street, feeling a sense of satisfaction and triumph from the bottom of his heart.
Last year, during the review of projects for the entrepreneurship competition, Wang Tao and Hao Yunlai were classmates in the same department and year, and also competitors during the project review stage.
Initially, both of their projects were somewhat similar, focusing primarily on catering.
Their project proposals and other documents were on par.
But the final result was that Hao Yunlai was selected for the entrepreneurship competition, while Wang Tao was rejected.
At first, Wang Tao simply thought his entrepreneurial project and proposal were inferior to Hao Yunlai's, and coupled with insufficient funding for the competition, he was rejected.
However, after joining Gao Fei's investment team and hearing the inside story of the entrepreneurship competition from Gu Lili, he finally learned the truth.
It wasn't that he was inferior to Hao Yunlai, but that the entrepreneurship competition involved various irregular behind-the-scenes manipulations, which led to his exclusion.
Now, with both their projects having investors, his business is booming, while Hao Yunlai's business is declining day by day. Wang Tao felt an indescribable sense of pleasure.
Just as Wang Tao was lost in thought, Miao Renyi suddenly walked over and said, "Lao Wang, there are a few customers in the shop, and I feel something is not right."
"Who?"
"The three people by the floor-to-ceiling window, at table six!"
Wang Tao looked at table six. Three men in their early twenties were holding milk teas, sitting at the table and chatting and laughing. He didn't notice anything strange.
"They seem pretty normal. I don't see anything wrong with the three of them. Lao Miao, you're being too cautious."
Before Miao Renyi could explain, Wang Tao interrupted him, telling him to go serve the customers and not overthink it.
Old Miao sighed inwardly and could only go to serve the customers while repeatedly keeping an eye on the three men.
He sensed that the seemingly normal three men shared a similarity with him in the past.
Just as the milk tea shop was at its peak customer flow, a furious roar suddenly came.
"Damn it, I found a thumbtack in my drink! Boss, get over here!"
"Where's the boss? Hurry up and get over here!"
Wang Tao, who was introducing drinks to a customer, heard the commotion and looked over. The person shouting was one of the three men Miao Renyi had mentioned earlier.
He walked over and, looking at the three men with angry faces, asked with a smile, "Gentlemen, I'm the boss here. May I ask what you need..."
Before he could finish, a man with a buzz cut pointed at the thumbtack on the table and interrupted, "Take a good look yourself! What the hell is this?
Fortunately, I spat it out in time. If I had swallowed it, I would have died after drinking a cup of milk tea!"
A companion of the man immediately chimed in, "I understand the law. If someone swallows a thumbtack and dies, you are guilty of intentional homicide. Even selling your shop wouldn't be enough to compensate."
"You can find a thumbtack in milk tea, and so many people patronize this place. Aren't you afraid of dying!" another person shouted at the surrounding customers.
As the three shouted, customers who were about to place orders immediately stopped.
Customers who were drinking milk tea frantically opened their lids, searching the fruit pieces to see if they were mixed with thumbtacks.
Is it plausible to find a thumbtack in milk tea?
Absolutely not!
Wang Tao realized that the three men, acting in concert, were deliberately causing trouble, and the thumbtack must have been put there by them.
"Gentlemen, Mingyuan Milk Tea adheres to standard hygiene practices every day, and it's impossible for a thumbtack to appear in the milk tea. The thumbtack was put there by yourselves. You are maliciously framing us."
Wang Tao, being straightforward, angrily accused them of causing trouble and took out his phone, continuing, "I don't know who hired you to deliberately smear our milk tea shop, but if you intend to linger here, I will call the police right now."
"Oh, you're threatening me by calling the police! Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"
The buzz-cut man sneered and signaled to his companions.
The other two immediately got up and started shouting inside and outside the shop.
"Mingyuan Milk Tea is extremely unscrupulous. They found a thumbtack in their drink but refuse to compensate and even threaten to call the police. A modern-day black shop, heartless!"
"Mingyuan Milk Tea can have thumbtacks in their drinks. Everyone, quickly avoid this unethical merchant!"
As the two shouted, customers began to leave the shop, while those who were about to enter for consumption stood outside watching the spectacle.
Seeing the rogue behavior of the three men, Wang Tao became anxious and shouted to those around him, "Don't listen to their nonsense, these three people are deliberately framing the milk tea shop. Please don't believe their ravings."
Miao Renyi, standing at the order counter, frowned.
It was obvious that the three were deliberately framing them to extort the merchant, but he hadn't expected Wang Tao's handling method to be so direct.
He's still too green, a university student just starting a business...
Miao Renyi immediately walked out from behind the counter, stopped Wang Tao, who was about to call the police, and whispered, "I'll handle it. Go check the surveillance footage in the back. Don't rush to call the police."
"They're deliberately framing us, Lao Miao!"
"Listen to me, go check the surveillance. I'll deal with these three!"
Wang Tao glanced at the arrogant three men, gritted his teeth in anger, but finally suppressed his resentment and went to check the surveillance.
After Wang Tao left, Miao Renyi stepped forward and smiled at the buzz-cut man, "Brother, let's talk things through properly. There's no need to make things awkward for everyone, right?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm the assistant manager of Mingyuan Milk Tea!"
Miao Renyi handed the man a pack of unopened cigarettes and said with a smile, "Our boss is starting his first business, and he's still a university student. He's a bit too straightforward, so please don't take it to heart.
Let's resolve this amicably. Harmony brings wealth!"
"You certainly know how to handle things!"
The buzz-cut man took the cigarette, nodded, and called to his companions. The two immediately sat back in their seats.
After the commotion subsided, Miao Renyi smiled and asked, "Brother, there's no one else in the shop now. Let's be direct. How much money do you need to settle this?"
The buzz-cut man looked at the fancy cigarette in his hand and said with a smile, "Brother, you're more resourceful than your boss, so I'll be frank.
I won't rip you off too much, twenty thousand yuan will do!
Once the money is paid, we'll leave immediately, and we can even help clarify things for you!"
Wang Tao, who had just recorded the surveillance video, heard the demand for twenty thousand yuan and immediately ran forward shouting, "Twenty thousand yuan? Do you think money falls from the sky?
Lao Miao, why are you still talking to these scoundrels? I have surveillance footage of them putting thumbtacks in the milk tea, and I've already called the police. Stop them and wait for the police to arrive!"
Miao Renyi, who had just managed to calm the situation, turned pale. He cursed Wang Tao as a stubborn fool in his heart.
The buzz-cut man and his two companions, as they turned cold, acted in perfect unison. One immediately stepped forward to snatch the phone, while another ran to the front desk to delete the surveillance footage.
Seeing that the other party had something in their hands, the store employees could only huddle in a corner and watch them delete the footage.
Seeing Wang Tao struggling with the man, Miao Renyi was about to help when the buzz-cut man pulled out a large utility knife and blocked him. "Brother, this kid is being unreasonable. If you're smart, sit down and don't move."
"Unreasonable my ass!"
Miao Renyi flipped over a table, and the milk teas on it instantly splashed onto the buzz-cut man.
He quickly grabbed a stool and swung it with all his might, and the milk tea shop instantly devolved into a melee.
A moment later, Wang Tao stood frozen in place, his face filled with terror, while the buzz-cut man and his two companions lay on the ground groaning in pain, holding their heads.
Miao Renyi, breathing heavily, lit a cigarette. He glanced at the still-shocked Wang Tao with a helpless bitter smile.
"You, you're too stubborn in your studies and don't know how to adapt.
I asked you to get the surveillance footage not to confront them or threaten them,
but to stabilize the situation, send them away, and then use the surveillance video to report them to the police."
Hearing this, Wang Tao slowly came to his senses.
Looking at the police car flashing its lights outside the shop, Miao Renyi sighed helplessly. It seemed he would have to change jobs again.
Not long after, the buzz-cut man and his two companions, Wang Tao, and Miao Renyi were all taken to the police station.
Mingyuan Milk Tea also closed for rectification.
...
Beijing Radio and Television Administration Building.
"Little Gao, keep up the good work. In the future, shoot more films like 'Black and White Edge' and make every film a masterpiece."
Ye Sucheng patted Gao Fei heavily on the shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.
Meanwhile, Comrade Xiao Gao's mind suddenly went blank.
He had never expected that Grandpa Su, who had chatted with him about various gossip news in the opera house, would actually be the head of the Administration.
No wonder his drunken ramblings led to a major rectification of the entertainment industry overnight. It turned out the big shot was right by his side.
The mystery was finally solved!
Coming back to his senses, Gao Fei nodded humbly, "Thank you for your recognition, Grandpa Su. I will not fail your trust."
"Then I look forward to your next masterpiece! Visit Brother Liu when you have time; he's always talking about you."
"Yes, Grandpa Su!"
Ye Sucheng nodded with satisfaction and then continued talking with Hu Yuan, Zhang Zhiwei, and others behind him.
However, his tone changed slightly, from amiable to stern.
Looking at Director Ye's attitude towards Gao Fei, Director Zhang, Director Hu, and others cast strange glances at him, secretly guessing his identity.
Jin Qiqi, standing nearby, leaned forward and directly asked in a low voice, "Boss, you seem to know Director Ye very well. When did you meet?"
"Personal privacy, don't ask around, or I'll dock your wages!"
"Alright, Boss!"
Just as the two were chatting, Ge Qing, the Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the General Police Administration, walked towards them with a smile.
"Little Gao, your movie has had a tremendous impact within the police department and has been highly praised by colleagues in the drug enforcement unit. You've done a great job, keep it up!"
"Thank you for your praise, Director Ge. Please also convey my thanks to the colleagues in the drug enforcement unit!"
"Alright, I will pass it on!"
Ge Qing patted Gao Fei on the shoulder, then asked with a smile, "Little Gao, do you have time recently?"
"If Director Ge says I have time, then I have time."
"A sly fox!"
Ge Qing shook his head and smiled, saying directly, "The General Administration is planning to shoot a movie specifically for the police. If you have time, you can join us as a consultant screenwriter, and perhaps even take on a role."
"Alright, Director Ge, I..."
A sudden phone ring interrupted Gao Fei. Director Ge nodded, signaling him to take the call.
"Hello, Old Zhang!"
"Old Gao, something's happened at the milk tea shop!"
Hearing Zhang Cheng's description on the phone, Gao Fei frowned slightly.
He glanced at Director Ge and raised his voice slightly, "What? Senior Wang and Brother Miao were extorted? Haven't they been arrested yet? Which branch precinct are they at now?"
Zhang Cheng on the other end of the phone looked bewildered, "Didn't I tell you? It's at the Wutong Branch Precinct."
"What? The extortionists even threatened Peking University students with a utility knife? And they demanded twenty thousand yuan at once? You go to the branch precinct first, I'll be right there."
"Hello, hello, Old Gao, is your signal bad? I already said..."
Before Zhang Cheng could finish, Gao Fei hung up the phone.
He looked at Ge Qing and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Director Ge. Something has happened at the school, and I need to rush back to resolve it.
As for the consultant screenwriter position, I'll contact you after I've dealt with the matter."
"Alright, handle your business first. Go ahead!"
After saying goodbye, Gao Fei, with Jin Qiqi, hurried out of the Administration building.
Ge Qing watched them leave, pondered for a moment, then took out his phone, found the number of the person in charge of the Wutong Branch Precinct, and dialed.
(Writing about investment and entrepreneurship reminds me of my own startup experience. In short, when their own interests are threatened, all sorts of disgusting tactics are employed. There's nothing they won't do that you can't imagine.)